Cipollini, a modern Italian restaurant, is set to open soon in Louisville’s Highlands on Bardstown Road
A new tenant lines up for a long-vacant Highlands address
A new modern Italian restaurant called Cipollini is preparing to open at 1606 Bardstown Road, taking over the Highlands space previously occupied by LouVino. The address has been without a dining-room tenant since LouVino’s Bardstown Road location closed in late September 2024, ending a 10-year run at that site.
Cipollini is being launched by chef Dallas McGarity and hospitality professional Tarek Hamada. Public-facing restaurant listings identify the concept as an upscale Italian restaurant, with dinner service planned Tuesday through Sunday and positioning that aligns with fine-dining pricing. As of mid-March 2026, some listings still describe opening timing as forthcoming, indicating that final launch details may vary by platform while the restaurant completes pre-opening steps.
Who is behind the concept
McGarity is known locally as the founder of The Fat Lamb and nationally for winning a 2019 season of Food Network’s “Chopped.” In published interviews tied to the opening, the partners have described a clear division of responsibilities: McGarity leading the kitchen and menu development, with Hamada responsible for front-of-house operations and guest experience. The two have previously worked in Louisville’s restaurant scene, and their new project is designed around a smaller, more focused format than some larger, multi-room concepts on the corridor.
What “modern Italian” is expected to mean at Cipollini
Restaurant descriptions released ahead of opening point to a menu centered on Italian tradition while emphasizing house-made pastas, seasonal ingredients, and a Southern- or Kentucky-influenced sensibility. In pre-opening materials, the restaurant name is explained as a reference to the Italian word for “little onion,” used to communicate a cooking philosophy focused on layered flavors, restrained technique, and hospitality.
Location: 1606 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY 40205 (Highlands)
Format: modern, upscale Italian; dinner-focused service
Operational split: kitchen led by McGarity; dining room led by Hamada
Why the opening matters for Bardstown Road
Bardstown Road remains one of Louisville’s most visible restaurant corridors, but it has also experienced churn, with well-known closures and vacancies drawing periodic neighborhood attention. The LouVino space is a prominent corner in the Highlands dining ecosystem, and the move from a wine-bar model to a modern Italian concept represents a notable reset for that address.
Pre-opening materials describe Cipollini as Italian at its core, with a distinctly Kentucky point of view.
With an opening expected in the near term, the key remaining questions are practical: the firm opening date, reservation availability, and the final menu and service details once the restaurant begins full operations. Those items typically become clearer in the final days leading up to launch, as staffing, inspections, and soft-opening schedules are completed.